


In the Beginning

by Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 13:45:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants/pseuds/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three padawans' lives change dramatically when they learn of the Mandalorian threat. When it becomes clear that the Council will not aid the Republic, Revan, Malak and Jayda take matters in to their own hands, for better or worse. In the beginning...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net under the following:-
> 
> Title: In the Beginning  
> Category: Games » Star Wars  
> Author: Malak's Mistress  
> Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
> Genre: General/Adventure  
> Published: 12-13-06, Updated: 12-13-06  
> Chapters: 1, Words: 7,086

I sigh. I'm sitting cross-legged with the rest of the padawans, trying to meditate, but it is quite difficult when Malak is whispering furtively to me.

"We get to find out our new Masters this evening," he whispers.

I glance at him silently. He isn't even bothering to appear as though he is trying to meditate.

"They're going to post it on the notice board in the training room," Malak continues.

I sneak a glance at Master Zhar but he is deep in meditation at the front of the room, as _I_ should be also.

"I hope I don't get Vrook," Malak grimaces and I give up my futile attempt at meditating, instead resigning myself to a conversation that will surely land me in trouble.

"Yeah, me too," I whisper back, leaning on the palms of my hands. "Or Atris. She's an ice queen!"

"Nah, I wouldn't mind her too much," Malak grins wickedly. "Reckon I could find a way to thaw her out!"

I giggle involuntarily and quickly slap my hand over my mouth, but it's too late. Everyone is staring at me and Malak is suddenly meditating innocently.

"Something amusing, Padawan Revan?" Master Zhar asks sternly.

I seriously consider repeating Malak's comment as revenge but decide against it, he _did_ cover for me when I was late for our sparring lesson this morning.

"No, Master Zhar," I reply, hoping my expression is a picture of innocence.

"Hmmm," he stares at me a moment longer, clearly unconvinced. "Yes well, in any case, meditation is over for today. See you all in two days."

I rush out in to the hallway before Zhar can call me back, Malak at my heels, and nearly collide with Jayda. The corridor is crowded with padawans and noisy as everyone shouts to be heard, so the three of us head outside the Enclave. Malak is still talking as though no time has passed at all.

"Or Vandar. He'd be a pretty awesome Master, don't you think?"

"What, you sick of Master Vash already?" Jayda asks, only half listening it seemed as her green eyes swivelled in every direction.

"Is it true that Master Kavar and Kreia are taking only one padawan each this year?" I ask my friends, curious about the rumour I had heard.

"Yeah," Jayda replies, glancing over her shoulder, alert and on guard. "They're joining the Council, something to do with a Mandalorian threat or something."

I stare at Jayda as we walk. She's acting _weird_.

"What's the matter with you?" Malak is watching her, too, puzzled.

"Oh, there's this kid that's been following me," she sighs, still on the look out over her shoulder. "No idea why. Seems nice enough but he just pops up out of nowhere."

"Padawan Jayda!"

We all turn to see a young blue-eyed blond teenager running toward us.

"Damn," Jayda mutters before the boy is within earshot.

Malak and I grin at the kid and he smiles back uncertainly, edging closer to Jayda. We seem to have that sort of effect on the younger padawans though I don't understand why.

"Uh, Mical, these are my friends Revan and Malak," Jayda gestures to us vaguely. "It was good seeing you since I last saw you ten minutes ago but we really-"

"Can I hang out with you and your friends for a while?"

I elbow Malak and we giggle. Jayda just glares at us, which makes me giggle more. Before she can reply, Malak pipes up.

"Sure, Mical, but we aren't really doing anything," I see the glint in his hazel eyes and try to stifle my rising laughter. "Well we were going to head over to the Crystal Cave and knock off a few kinrath, but that's about it."

The boy visibly pales and doesn't seem quite as keen, and I turn away to hide my face.

"Uh, no, it's okay," even without seeing Mical's face I nearly crack up. "I just remembered I have to…uh…meet…um…with Master Vrook. Yeah. See you later, Padawan Jayda!"

I hear him scoot away and finally burst out laughing, slapping Malak's outstretched hand in a high-five.

"Force, Malak," I gasp. "You're pure evil!"

He laughs but Jayda glares at us. "That was mean!"

"Hey!" I flare up good-naturedly in Malak's defence. "You didn't want to hang out with him anyway! You were going to make something up to get rid of him!"

"Well…" she stammers. "But I was going to do it nicely!"

Malak chuckles as he shakes his head. "Jayda, you're such a square!"

Bastila interrupts any retort Jayda may have had with a disdainful sniff. I roll my eyes at Malak and he returns the gesture, neither of us are particularly fond of the stuck-up young teenager.

"I thought I ought to tell you, considering you _probably_ don't know, the Master's Allocation List has been posted early," her snobbish tone grates on my nerves and Jayda quickly replies, sensing both Malak's and my irritation with her.

"Thanks."

Bastila glares at us haughtily before leaving to be irritating elsewhere. I glare at her retreating back but Malak is pulling on my arm.

"Come on! I want to know who I have!"

Jayda and I race after Malak to the training room, skidding to a halt in front of the notice board. Jayda hovers on the edge of the crowd of padawans surrounding the list, but Malak and I push our way to the front.

I search for Jayda's name. Master Kavar. She should be happy with that.

I scan the list for my name and spot it under Master Kreia's. I didn't know much about Kreia, but she did seem kind of strange. She always gave me weird looks in the hallways, which was even stranger because she was supposed to be _blind_.

I force my way out of the throng of people and find my friends.

"Oi, you have Kavar and I've got Kreia," Jayda nods, satisfied, but Malak groans dramatically.

"Guess who I've got."

I grin. "Vrook?"

He nods sadly and I punch him in the arm playfully, laughing. "Sucked in!"

"Well it could be worse," Jayda says and Malak turns to her hopefully. "You could have…uh…well…yeah, I suppose that does suck."

"Thanks a lot," he grumbles.

"Padawan Jayda!" Mical waves from across the room. "I thought you were hunting kinrath?"

A few padawans nearby laugh, Malak and I among them.

"Change of plans," Jayda sighs, sparing a glare in our direction that seemed to be amused, exasperated and angry all at the same time.

We leave her with Mical and head for the mess hall, why the kid was so attached to her I didn't know. Maybe it was because they both seemed to be so pure. Good ol' Jayda hardly ever did anything wrong, and I sensed that Mical was exactly the same. Walking such a straight line must be so boring, I reckon.

Our Masters are always lecturing us about the Dark Side and its related evils, but I fail to see how a bit of mischief here and there, or following your heart and what you believe, could lead to it. The Masters are just too conservative and old-fashioned, too stuck in their ways.

"What do you feel like eating?" Malak asks me with a smile, interrupting my thoughts.

We have exactly the same conversation every time we come to the mess hall.

"Oh, I don't know. What is there?"

"Well," he says seriously, ticking off on his fingers as he speaks. "There's nerf-steak stew, nerf-steak soup, nerf-steak burgers or nerf-steak salad."

Seriously, that's all the choice we have. One time they served up Bantha bolognaise but no one ate it because they were so shocked at the non-nerf food, so the cooks never made it again. A shame really, because now we are stuck eating nerf, nerf and more nerf.

"Burgers today, I reckon," I say after careful consideration.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Malak moves off to get our lunch while I find us a table.

It doesn't matter what kind of nerf I choose, Malak always agrees, and so we eat our identical meals together as we always have for the past five years.

That's how long we've been friends, ever since I was thirteen. A group of girls were picking on me in the training room, I don't even remember why now, and Malak ran over and clocked one square in the face. Of course he had nearly been kicked out of the Order, but we were inseparable from then on.

It was the first time anyone had stood up for me, and he hadn't even known me then. Lately though, I've been wondering if I feel a little more than 'friend love' for him. Over the past few months I have begun to look at him differently, and my feelings have been rather alarming. He's the same age as me and he acts the same way as he always has, but it's like he is finally becoming a man or something.

I watch Malak as he loads a tray with our food, and I take the opportunity to stare more closely without his knowledge. He's an attractive guy…actually, he is really quite handsome, even if he has no hair. But I think he would look funny if he wasn't bald, though perhaps that was just because I'm used to it. He has a thoughtful expression when he places the tray on the table between us.

"What's up?" I ask, grabbing a burger.

"I overheard the cooks talking about some really old ruins to the east of the Enclave. Like ancient."

"So?" I shrug and Malak rolls his eyes.

"So," he says, picking up a nerf-burger. "I didn't know that there were ruins around here."

I shake my head as I chew, for some reason Malak finds history interesting, but I think it's utterly boring unless there's some awesome action involved.

"So, what, you want to check them out?" I ask between mouthfuls.

"Yeah, want to come with?" at my nod he continues. "Most of the Masters are meeting up tomorrow to discuss that Mandalorian threat or whatever, so we don't have any training. We can go then."

"Sure. You know," I say thoughtfully, "we should find out more about this Mandalorian situation, it doesn't seem right."

"I know what you mean," Malak agrees.

"I mean, if the Council is meeting then it must be pretty bad."

We sit and eat quietly, until the mess hall is almost empty.

"Well," I stand up, wiping my hands on my robes. "I'll let Jayda know about the ruins and we-"

"No!"

I stare at Malak curiously as a faint blush creeps in to his pale cheeks.

"Uh, I mean, how about we keep this between us?" he stares down at the table, fiddling with a paper napkin.

My heart thumps hard against my chest.

"Sure," I manage, before I head for my quarters.

X X X X X

 "Okay," Malak glances down at a map in his hands. "Looks like a fair hike but nothing too strenuous. Should be pretty clear of beasties too."

I nod silently, still feeling strangely awkward in his presence since we spoke yesterday, and am acutely aware of his arm brushing against mine as we walk. I edge away discreetly, hoping Malak hasn't picked up on my thoughts, and fill the silence of our hike with mindless chatter.

"So, did you learn anything awesome from Vash?"

"Yeah, actually, she taught me the lightsaber form that Kavar uses. It's pretty aggressive for a Jedi technique, but she said that it would serve me well with my strength."

"Oh yeah, I know the one. I suck at it though," I laugh feeling a little more at ease.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Malak glances at me in surprise. "I remember watching you duel with Zhar."

"Oh that, the only reason he didn't knock me down on my ass is because I threw in my own moves!"

"You invented your own form?" Malak stares at me with admiration and I feel the beginning of a blush creep up my neck.

"Yeah, I haven't shown any of the Masters though, or anyone for that matter."

"Would you show me?" he stops walking. "I could teach you how to use Kavar's form in return."

"Sure," I glance at him and keep walking, but pause when he isn't by my side.

I turn to face him, confused, as he stares at me with a grin.

"What, now?" I ask incredulously, glancing around at the vast green pasture we stood in.

"Why not? We have all the room we could want," Malak ignites his blue lightsaber with a smile and falls in to his fighting stance, waiting for me to do the same.

I grin as I unclip my saber from my belt. "You're on!"

I circle Malak uncertainly, we had never actually duelled against each other so I could only go by the training I had seen him do during our shared sparring lessons.

"So, Revvy, show me your moves," he teases playfully, and I launch myself with lightning speed toward him.

He barely blocks my flurry, and I smirk as his playful grin turns to concentrated determination as he struggles to parry my spinning lightsaber. I knew he would underestimate me.

My form consists of augmented speed and my sharp reflexes, giving me a substantial advantage over Malak who relies on strength and power. His face is scrunched up with the effort of defending himself against me but, with one swift, forceful kick, I dislodge his saber and shove him to the ground, catching his weapon in midair. Malak stares up at me dazedly as I place my boot on his chest and rest on my knee, grinning down at him.

"Holy frack, Revan!" his says with wide eyes. "You made that up by yourself?"

I let him sit up and return his lightsaber. "It's like writing a dance, Mal, and your lightsaber is the music, your steps the beat and your movements the tempo."

He brushes himself off as he climbs to his feet, glancing at me with a hint of respect. "Heh, I don't understand so that's probably why I can't do what you can. There is no way I could learn that, but I can still teach you."

Malak drops in to his fighting stance again and beckons for me to imitate him. I follow his movements slowly to begin with, and soon we are taking turns in attacking and defending against each other.

"Now hang on a sec," he says as he clips his saber to his belt and stands directly in front of me, repositioning my stance. "You're holding your weapon as if you're shielding rather than on the offensive. If you do that, you can allow an opening for your opponent to take."

He moves my hands in to a different grip on my lightsaber, but I'm paying no attention to his teaching now. His hands are softer than I thought they would be, and my heart is racing at his innocent touch.

"You're still not holding it right, look," Malak steps behind me and my temperature jumps a few degrees higher, not helping my distracted thoughts in any way.

His warm breath sends shivers down my neck as he speaks and I leap out of his grasp, my skin breaking out in goosebumps, though the day is hot. Malak stares at me, confused, as I try to recover my composure.

"We can finish this later, but the day drags on and we have barely started our trek to the ruins," I grin, appealing to his ego. "If you're scared about what we might find…"

I sigh inwardly with relief as he rises to my bait. "What? Scared? Come on then, let's get going!"

The hike to the ruins takes us two hours, and we spend the time discussing our training, the Mandalorian threat and what the ruins might hold. When the strange ruins are within range, we both fall silent. I feel something emanating from the tall pillars, something…powerful. I sneak a glance at Malak and can tell that he has sensed it also.

"It feels strange here," he says as we walk through the shadows of the stone pillars. "I think it's dark power."

As soon as Malak voices it, I know he’s right. These ruins are surrounded by dark power.

We stop at a large heavy door that seems to lead slightly underground. I lean close to search for a lock or some sort of mechanism while Malak inspects some symbols that stretch over the door.

"I can't see any way to open it," I run my hands over the door and am surprised at how cool it feels.

"This isn't any language I know," Malak mutters. "It's very strange."

We search for about an hour for a way through the door, but to no avail. I was growing cranky from the heat and Malak finally took the hint.

"Well I didn't really expect us to find anything dramatic today," he sighs. "We'll come back tomorrow afternoon."

"Ha, yeah right!" I grouch. "It took us two hours just to get here, so it's gonna take just as long to get back. We wouldn't get back to the Enclave until dark!"

"Don't worry," Malak grinned. "I've got an idea."

X X X X X

 "Steal _Vrook's_ speeder?" 

" _Borrow_ , Revvy, _borrow_ ," Malak smiles. "There's a difference."

We were running late, as per normal, for our first lesson with our respective new Masters.

"He'll flay us alive if he caught us!" I point out the obvious.

"But he won't."

I shook my head. "What makes you so-"

"Listen," he says hurriedly as we pause briefly outside the training room. "Jayda's gonna help us by…creating a distraction. She doesn't know it yet, though."

I shake my head again as we quickly and silently enter the training room hoping not to be spotted, and for what was quite possibly the first time, luck was on our side. It seemed we had missed the boring introduction and now the room was in ordered chaos as padawans sought out their new Masters. I saw Kavar and Jayda leave for a more quiet meditation room on the far side, and scanned the room quickly for Kreia. I sensed her, rather than saw her, and made my way through the crowd toward her.

"Ah, Revan," she stood from her meditative pose. "Let us seek out a more secluded location to limit distractions."

We walk in silence to a peaceful nook underneath a towering tree just outside the Enclave. As we sit, I realise that I feel surprisingly at ease in Kreia's presence, and feel I could ask her anything.

"You seek information, Revan," Kreia stares at me as though looking in to my very soul, which was somewhat disconcerting as her hooded robe fell over her unseeing eyes. "Ask, and I will answer."

I wasn't shocked to discover that she could sense my thoughts. She seemed to be more powerful than I had initially thought.

"Yes," I reply. "I want to know more of this Mandalorian threat that the Masters have been speaking of."

"Indeed? And why is that?"

"Well I've heard little more than snippets in the hallways, but if the Mandalorians are truly such a threat, why isn’t the Council acting?"

"You ask the right question, padawan," Kreia says. "The Council advises caution, they do not think the Mandalorians are the true danger."

"Not the true danger?" I wonder if the Council is merely making excuses. "But surely they must still be stopped!"

"In time yes, but the Council believes the best course of action is one of cautiousness and patience to allow the real threat to reveal itself," Kreia pauses and stares in my direction. "But you don't agree with this."

I glare at her angrily, she spoke as though she wasn't a member of the Jedi Council. "Of course I don't!"

"Your anger is righteous, Revan. By the time the Council intervenes, numerous planets will have been destroyed and many, many more innocent lives taken. The Republic has already pleaded for the Jedi's aid, but the Council has refused."

I stand, furious, and glare down at the old woman. "You know this and yet you do not act? You sit on the Council and yet you don't voice your concerns? How can they sit back and do nothing?"

Kreia didn't move from her meditative position on the ground nor did her tone change, while I barely had control of my emotions. "And what would you do, Revan?"

"Well I can't allow this to happen!" I bow stiffly to my Master. "Excuse me, Master, but I must leave."

"As you wish, padawan."

I was surprised that she didn't stop me. Our lesson was supposed to last for at least half an hour, but it had survived less than five minutes. Suddenly I felt Kreia's voice in my mind as I re-entered the Enclave.

_:Sometimes the Force is the key, Revan:_

I shake my head, so angry with the Jedi Masters that I don't even care what in the galaxy Kreia is talking about, or how she managed to speak in my mind.

"Revan!"

I look up to see Jayda, looking slightly out of sorts. "What's the matter? Shouldn't you still be with Master Kavar?"

"Oh," she flushes, then suddenly narrows her eyes at me. "Oughtn't _you_ be with _Kreia_?"

"Heh, you first."

"Um…well," Jayda stammers. I had never seen her so flustered. "We were sparring and, well, I Pushed him and he tripped, but, uh, he doesn't wear undergarments."

I stare at her. "Huh?"

"Master Kavar, he…" Jayda blushes furiously, and I finally understood.

My mouth openes and closes as I tried to gain control of my rising laughter at the expense of my poor friend, who was clearly embarrassed.

"Kavar doesn't wear skivvies?" I finally manage.

"Er…I don't really want to talk about it right now," she mumbles. "Why aren’t you with Kreia?"

"I got angry," I reply, then relay what I had learnt to Jayda.

I hadn't expected her to stand with me but, clearly, there was more to my close friend than I knew.

"The Council is just going to do nothing while the Mandalorians destroy everything? How many are dead already because the Jedi haven't acted?"

"We need to contact the Republic Fleet, offer our services, rally together others. I'm sure the Council hasn't divulged the whole story to most of the Jedi, and I'm sure once they know what is going on, they will gladly join us to help the Republic."

Jayda nods seriously at my plan. "Yes, I’ll contact the Fleet and learn more of the threat."

"Good idea," I agree. "I'll talk to a couple of people-"

"You two! What are you doing?" Malak approaches us from the Enclave entry. "Training isn't over yet."

"I could ask you the same thing!" I reply heatedly, my anger with the Jedi Council colouring my words accidentally.

Malak takes a small step back, his hands raised. "Wow, sorry I asked."

I run my hand through my hair as I try to gain control of my emotions. "Sorry Mal, it's just…hey, so why aren't _you_ with Vrook still?"

He grins cheekily. "Call it a matter of personality incompatibility if you will…from what I could understand of his angry spluttering, I gathered Vrook believes me to be too brash and headstrong, and I didn't stick around to hear the rest of his rant."

Malak sighs dramatically. "I can't believe I'm stuck with that ray of sunshine for the whole year!"

"Vrook's not too bad," Jayda tries. "Granted I've never had him as a Master before…and from what I've heard he demands nothing less than perfection…and often even Master Zhar has disagreements with him…"

Jayda trails off, clearly realising she couldn't think of anything remotely reassuring to say.

"Well your impending year of doom may not come to pass," I launch in to an explanation of what the Council had failed to tell us about the Mandalorians, with Jayda adding bits and pieces.

The change in Jayda was extraordinary; I had never seen this side of her. She was talking with a fiery passion I had never felt from her before, punctuating her words with animated gestures that were far from her usual reserved. But I had only known her closely for the past year, so perhaps Jayda was always this way, and had just lacked something to be passionate about.

"Uh, you two do realise that this would be _totally_ defying the Council..?" Malak stares at us, his excitement, awe and fear visible.

I nod along with Jayda.

"And you also realise that we'll be kicked out of the Order and won't ever achieve Jedi Knight status..?" I liked the way Malak said 'we'.

I nod again and turn to Jayda. "Malak's right, Jayda. We'll be exiled for defying the Council's wishes, and you’re already proving that you will make a great Jedi Knight, no question. Do you really want to jeopardise-"

"They have already failed me if they do nothing while countless innocents die at the brutal hands of those Mandalorians," she interrupts me quietly. "I wouldn’t want to be a part of an Order which refuses to protect those it exists to protect."

"Plus," I add as realisation hit me. "The Republic must know that the Mandalorians will crush their resistance, otherwise they wouldn't be petitioning the Council for aid."

"So," Malak caught up to my train of thought. "They will conquer the Republic? Destroy it?"

I smile grimly. "Then there won't be anything to protect."

"We have to get involved," Jayda said resolutely. "There is no choice."

Malak and I nod solemnly in agreement, but turn sharply as someone appeared suddenly beside us.

"Padawan Jayda! If you go to war than I shall come with you!"

The three of us stare at the young blue-eyed teenager in silent shock before Malak spoke.

"How long have you been listening to our _private_ conversation?" he demands.

Mical lifts his chin defiantly. "Long enough to know that Master Kavar doesn't wear-"

"Sssh!" I interrupt as I trade a worrying glance with Jayda; he had heard _everything_.

"You can't come with us, Mical," she began softly. "You know this."

The poor kid grabs Jayda's robes and shakes her. "I can help! I can use a lightsaber and I know Stun, and Push, and-"

She places a calming hand on the boy's shoulder. "I won't let you come. You have to stay here with the other young padawans."

He looks up in to Jayda's face sorrowfully, and I look away quickly when I see his eyes shine with tears. "But, Padawan Jayda, I _want_ to come with you!"

I feel Malak shuffle uncomfortably beside me as Mical sniffs in a desperate attempt to hold his tears back.

"I won't let you come," my friend repeats quietly but firmly. "I don't won't you hurt or thrown out of the Order because of me."

I look back at them and watch as Mical nods, defeated. "Don't die, Padawan Jayda."

Jayda suddenly grasps Mical's forearm in what I recognised as a promise vow of some sort, and I wonder what the hell she was thinking. She couldn't possibly be stupid enough to promise the kid that she wouldn't die, could she?

"I, Padawan Jayda, hereby promise you, Padawan Mical, loyal disciple of the Light, that I will see you again after the war, whether it be through the Force or in my physical entirety."

"Witnessed." It slips from my mouth before I realise, but I know Jayda will keep that promise.

A small smile softens Mical's sadness and he nods slowly as he continues to stare at Jayda.

"There is no death; there is the Force."

X X X X X

After I had spoken to several of my closer friends at the Enclave word spread like wild fire, and I had effectively lost count of the number of people who had approached me, wanting to volunteer themselves to fight for the Republic.

Jayda had spoken with an Admiral Doddonna of the Fleet, who had graciously accepted our aid. They were even sending us several ships after Jayda told them that we were effectively disobeying the will of the Jedi Council. They would be arriving this afternoon and I couldn't be more relieved about that fact. Most of the Jedi Masters were so busy with Council meetings that they hadn't seemed to notice the inattention of many Jedi or their urgent, secretive discussions in the halls, but Vandar, Zhar and Vrook were not easy to fool.

They would certainly have sensed something buzzing around the Enclave but, if they hadn't figured out what was causing it, they soon would. Jayda, Malak and I had managed to avoid these three Masters over the past week as we recruited Jedi to the Republic's aid, but three Fleet ships arriving on Dantooine this afternoon was surely going to raise questions. However, I was going to take the opportunity to address the whole of the Jedi on this planet before we left for the war, perhaps more could be persuaded to join our cause.

I stared down at the new robes I wore: billowing, black and dark red with a mask to match, though I hadn't fastened the mask over my face yet.

I wasn't going to kid myself. I was an eighteen year old girl with a blond blue-eyed appearance to match; no one would take me seriously on the front lines. But as the impressive Jedi Revan in this getup, the Mandalorians won't fall over with hysterical, incredulous laughter, and the Republic soldiers would be more likely to listen to me.

Jayda had also fashioned herself new robes for exactly the same reason that I had, and her slight frame was shrouded in a thick, dark green hooded warrior robe. Malak didn't need to go to such lengths to create an imposing image, however he had abandoned his usual beige robes for strange red armour I hadn't seen before, with black leather as added protection.

The three of us stood quietly in my quarters, checking and double checking over our respective lightsabers to ensure we were as prepared as we could ever be. I watched with respect as Jayda tested the weight of her yellow double-bladed saber in each hand before deactivating it and clipping it to her belt. I had never been able to wield the double-bladed weapon with as much accuracy as a single hilt, and held a healthy admiration for anyone who could, especially Jayda.

Both Malak and I wielded a single hilt, though he had kept his blade the traditional blue while I had modified mine with a rare silver crystal given to me by Master Zhar two years ago. I briefly wondered if Zhar would be angry or disappointed in my actions, or would he support me? He had been my favourite Master by far for as long as I could remember, and I always turned to him for further counsel. Vrook would always scowl when I approached Zhar, but the twi'lek Master would put his hand on my shoulder and say, with a twinkle in his eye, "Come, Padawan Revan, Master Vrook is in one of his moods. Let us retreat to the Jedi Archives so we do not disturb him further."

My attention was dragged back to the present when Jayda spoke.

"Perhaps we should meditate for these last few hours, to ready ourselves mentally," she suggested softly.

Malak agreed and so the three of us sat on my threadbare meditation mat in the middle of my room, clasping our hands together in a circle. I breathed deeply, stretching out to feel the Force around me, and sensing my friends' auras in the process. I felt a small amount of fear in both of them and squeezed their hands reassuringly. They returned the gesture and one thought linked us together in that moment: we are a team.

X X X X X

 "Revan!"

I rose from meditation along with Malak and Jayda as Master Tahn rapped on the door loudly before letting herself in quickly. She was one of the few Jedi Masters who could not sit and do nothing while the Mandalorians raped and pillaged across the galaxy. I heard Jayda inhale sharply upon the Master's entrance but my attention was on what Tahn was saying.

"Revan, the Republic ships just entered Dantooine space and will be docking within the hour."

I nodded curtly at the information. With the ships drawing nearer I was beginning to feel tense, but squashed the feeling; there was no turning back for me and, by the determined faces of my two closest friends, I wasn't alone.

"Thank you for informing us, Master Tahn," I felt Jayda and Malak stand on either side of me, and their presence calmed me more than any meditation could. "Please, rally together the others to meet us at the docking bay."

"Of course," she nodded quickly and left.

"Revan, Tahn is Mical's Master," Jayda's voice was worried, and it took me longer than it should have to understand why.

"I'm sorry, Jayda, but I can't do anything about it," I really couldn't.

"His Master has made her choice," Malak spoke quietly beside me.

Jayda nodded but I could feel the guilt rolling off of her.

"It's not your fault, Jayda, everyone chooses their own path. Another Master will take Mical; we could all feel his potential in his presence."

She nodded again at my words but her guilt didn't lessen. Truthfully, I hadn't put as much effort in to reassuring her of Mical's fate as I ought to have, but I was beginning to dwell more on what lay ahead of us. If Tahn wanted to help the Republic, I wasn't going to stop her.

We swiftly made our way through the Enclave to the exit, alerting any straggling volunteers to get a move on. Soon fifteen other Jedi were following us to the docking bay and we squinted in to the sunny sky as three Fleet ships landed loudly one after the other. Nearly the whole population of the planet was milling around to glimpse the ships and their purpose on the farming planet. I watched silently as three figures emerged from the largest ship and strode purposely towards us. A battle-ready woman with Admiral stripes halted in front of us, flanked by two captains. She nodded at Jayda who she would have recognised from their correspondence and introduced herself to the rest of us.

"Greetings, Jedi. I am Admiral Forn Doddonna, and I don't think I can stress how much your aid means to us."

I stepped forward and she shook my hand firmly. "Admiral, if we had known you required our assistance, believe me, we would have answered your call sooner. I am Jedi Revan and this is Jedi Malak. With me is Jedi Jayda, who you have already met, and as you can see, dozens of Jedi who have rallied together to fight for the Republic."

By this time, all of the Jedi accompanying us had gathered around, but I felt eyes on me from further away. I turned to look back toward the Enclave and I could see the silhouettes of three figures. I knew immediately who they were: Vandar, Zhar and Vrook. I felt a stab of irritation and anger aimed at them course through my body and I took a deep breath to steady my emotions. How could they just sit idly by while thousands of innocent people were dead and dying, even after they had been begged for assistance? Well I will let them know what I really thought of their way to protect the galaxy's inhabitants.

"Admiral, may I speak to the gathered Jedi, soldiers and citizens?"

Doddonna nodded at my request and motioned for me to stand at the top of the largest ship's boarding ramp. Malak and Jayda followed me, standing by my side loyally as I looked out to the crowd of sentients below me. Within seconds, all eyes were on me as it was clear I was going to speak. This was my chance, I thought, to prove to the Jedi, to Doddonna and her gathered soldiers, to prove that I could be more than a blond, blue-eyed young padawan. My voice, easily snagging the attention of anyone who wasn't focused on me, rang out.

"The Jedi failed me when I heard that the Republic had desperately petitioned the Order for our aid, and the Council refused. The Jedi failed me when I learnt that Mandalorians were razing worlds and destroying cities, and they merely sat on their laurels to meditate on what to do. The Jedi failed me when thousands upon thousands are dead and dying, and still the Council refuse to get involved."

I could feel the passion in my words, weighing heavily on every stress. I could feel understanding and agreement meeting me from the soldiers and most of the Jedi accompanying me. Some still needed convincing of our presence in this war, and Jayda's words sprung to mind.

"A fellow Jedi told me that they couldn't be a part of an Order who refuses to protect that which it exists to protect. I implore you, can you, with a clear conscience, shunt your duty as a Jedi and remain detached from this war like the Masters? A Jedi's life is sacrifice. A true Jedi will risk their life for the Republic. For a true Jedi, there is no choice! Defend the Republic!"

A roar of approval met my last words, and as I stretched my senses out to touch the teeming life around me, I discovered that only three in the crowd hadn't joined in. I watched the three Masters slowly return to the Enclave but before they were gone from my senses, I felt waves of anger, sadness and disappointment roll from them. A hand on my arm centred me once more.

"That was brilliant, Revan!" Malak exclaimed, Jayda nodding beside him with a smile.

The Admiral appeared at my elbow, looking much more impressed and confident. She guided the three of us to a group of men to the side and motioned for a muscular Zabrak to step forward.

"This is our specialist tech Bao-Dur," the Zabrak nodded at us formally. "He has a plan that he would like to flesh out with you for a large scale counterattack."

I turned to Jayda. "You can do this Jayda. I trust in your abilities."

She nodded and smiled, clearly pleased.

"Welcome aboard then…General Jayda," Admiral Doddonna waved some men over to accompany the new General.

"Keep me up to date, General," already calling her that seemed natural.

She disappeared in to one of the smaller ships along with a crew of numerous Jedi and soldiers, as well as the specialist tech she would be working closely with.

Admiral Doddonna was obviously respected so her soldiers were quick to obey her orders, and, with the Jedi seeming to have a new sense of respect for me, I was thrust in to the position of their leader of sorts. Between the two of us, the convoy of three ships was quickly on its way to Republic Headquarters on Telos. Malak had stayed by my side the entire time and I was extremely thankful for that. Finally we were alone in our temporary quarters on board the _Leviathan_ , and had a chance to talk privately before meeting the other big shots on the ship.

"They won't let us back now," I couldn't tell if Malak was upset about this.

"I guess not," I replied, adding with a stale grin. "Not after what I said anyway."

"That was bloody brilliant!" he smiled widely at me. "Best speech I ever heard!"

I grinned at his compliment before a sudden thought occurred to me. "We never did get to go back to those ruins."

Malak shook his head with disappointment, his earlier smile fading. "Well more important things came up."

_:Sometimes the Force is the key, Revan:_

Kreia's words from a week ago bounced back to me with sudden clarity. The Force is the _key_!

"Hey Mal!" I say excitedly. "I think I know how to get in to those ruins!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"…Well it's a little late now, don't you think?" he sighs exasperatedly.

"Of course not! Once this war is over, we will be exiles. We'll be able to do whatever we want and have all the time in the world to explore your ruins."

"So how do you think you can open the ruins to us?" Malak asks curiously.

"I'm not going to tell you until _after_ the Mandalorians are gone from Republic space!" I chuckle at his incredulous expression. "So you are just going to have to live, aren't you!"

"Well then," Malak grins, but there's strong emotion behind his eyes. " _You_ have to live as well!"

I choke on my laughter suddenly and feel close to tears. "Promise?"

"Promise."


End file.
